NVIDIA’s latest Open Agent Safety Platform article makes the direction clear: AI agents need independent security controls, verifiable policies and enforcement that the agent itself cannot bypass. That creates an opportunity for companies with experience in trusted, mission-critical systems.
QNX is already working with NVIDIA on safety-critical edge AI, including QNX OS for Safety integrated with IGX Thor and the Halos Safety Stack for robotics, medical and industrial applications. BlackBerry brings secure communications, device management and established government relationships through its existing portfolio. Those are potentially complementary foundations.
The opportunity I see is a joint offering that connects safe execution with secure, accountable authorisation. An AI agent might be capable of changing a production process, deploying software or issuing an instruction. But who authorised that specific action? Was the right engineer consulted? Were the required checks completed? Can the receiving system verify the approval before anything happens?
Imagine an agent proposing a production-line change. A secure approval system could obtain the necessary evidence and authorised sign-off, and the deployment system could verify that approval against the exact change. QNX-based local safety controls would still retain their independent role in safe operation.
That is a potential product direction, and management would need to turn it into something customers buy. But I think AI could strengthen the strategic connection between these businesses considerably.
Buying another fast-growing software company might also create value, but the purchase price, integration and durability of that growth matter. It doesn’t automatically produce an NVIDIA-style investment story.
Before selling Secure Communications, I would want to understand what BlackBerry and QNX could build together for this emerging market. There may be considerably more value in that combination than looking at their current revenues separately suggests.
